Give Love A Chance
by PrudenceKimberly
Summary: "Well, you better hope to hell that you didn't bring anything else back" She spat those words, for those were the only words she could muster. For those were the only words her pride allowed her to say. AU..takes place after the heartbreaking season finale, and will not be following the show. OutlawQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, as I am sure most of you are, but that finale has left me enraged. Emma has done it again, and acted selfishly without any consideration to the consequences it may have. (I'm sorry if this offends some of you, but Emma was never one of my favorite characters, and after the finale, I REALLY don't like her any more)**

**So, this is a story that takes place right after the finale, but will NOT be following the show, since the part with the ern and Elsa escaping is not included. Therefore, this story will have a new villian. **

**This is how I HOPE that the writers will fix the OutlawQueen situation. **

**So read and enjoy. Whether this stays a oneshot, or becomes a multi-chapter fic, is up to all of you my dear readers.**

* * *

"Well, you just better hope to hell that you didn't bring anything else back," she spat.

That was all she could say, even though she was slowly dying on the inside, that was all she could muster. That was all her _pride_ allowed her to say, for no matter how painful something may be, she never showed the extent of damage it did to her, she always held her head up high, and soldiered on.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to throw Emma against a wall, and thrust her hand into her chest. She knew she couldn't rip out her heart, but she wanted to see the pained look on her face. Every magical instinct she had screamed at her to do it, all of the anger and resentment she had worked so hard to bury, was scratching its way back into light, and it was not easy to reign it in with that searing pain coursing through her veins.

But no, she won't do it, she won't go back to her dark ways. Not now, not after she finally changed, not after she finally used light magic, and most importantly; not after her son called her a hero. She had worked so hard to change for his sake, and she was not about to lose the battle now. He finally called her a hero, he finally looked her in the eye and told her that he believed in her, she finally saw the unconditional love in his eyes again. And after almost two years of him calling her the Evil Queen, it felt great. She thought her heart broke when she lost Daniel, but nothing compares to the loss of a child, and her pain over losing Henry nearly drove her mad. So no, she was not going to hurt Emma, she wasn't even going to hurt Marian-despite the fact that the sight of her in Robin's arms, and how Roland was clutching onto her, was causing her heart to nearly split in half-but she couldn't disappoint her son again.

And so, she did the only thing she knew how to do best when in situations she didn't like…..escape. And so, before anyone could say another word, she raised her hand, and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Once the smoke cleared, two voices rang in the now deadly quiet diner.

"Mom," and "Gina," were called by Henry and Roland simultaneously, though their tones were worlds apart.

Henry's voice was filled with concern, and love; while Roland's held nothing but innocence and slight disappointment at her sudden, and rather abrupt, exit.

That was when the other shoe finally dropped; Robin's face paled, and he whipped around to look at the spot where Regina was mere seconds ago.

"Papa, where did Gina go?" Roland asked innocently, as he wiggled out of his mother's arms.

Robin did not know what to say to his son, for he hadn't completely comprehended the complexity of the situation yet. Marian, his long dead wife is back, and mere mintues ago, he was kissing Regina passionately, and now she was gone.

'_I just never thought I'd have this.'_

'_My first love, Daniel, was killed because of me. Because he loved __**ME**__.'_

'_She led me to this tavern, to a man, who she said I was __**destined**__ to be with.'_

'_I was just too scared to approach you.'_

Those were the words she had said to him, just this morning.

'_I would've walked through hell, just to be with my Marian again.'_

And those were his words to her! And now, as soon as Marian appeared, he took her into his arms, and for a second, just a second, he completely forgot that she was there, and he did not think about how this was going to look.

All of that took less than second, all of those thoughts stormed through his mind in the blink of an eye, and before he could answer Roland's question, an angry voice stopped him.

"What did you do?" he hissed, and almost every single person in the diner were taken aback by the amount of anger in the usually calm and loving voice.

It was Henry's voice, and Emma did not need to look at him to know that he was gritting his teeth. He sounded so much like Regina in that moment, that it broke Emma's heart. It was further proof that when it comes down to it, Henry will always need Regina in ways she will never understand.

Her suspicions of how much he was like his mother were further confirmed, when she finally turned her head to look at him. His eyes were narrowed, and his entire face was clenched in anger. His body seemed to be shaking with suppressed rage, and the daggers flying out of his eyes were directed at her. She had seen that look too many times on Regina's face, and she found no differences from the one she was getting from her son at that moment.

"Henry, I…." her sentence was cut short by yet another angry voice, this time from a very unlikely source.

"Don't even try to defend yourself, "she enunciated every syllable, and when Emma looked in the direction of the voice, she found a seething Tinkerbelle.

"Can everybody please take a step back and breathe?" David intercepted the two-person angry mob that seemed to be out for his daughter's head.

"NO," Henry screamed, "I am sick and tired of you all doing this, every time she tried to change, one of you does something to prove to her that she can never be happy. You never think of the consequences," he bellowed, his eyes burning holes at his mother, before he angrily stomped towards the door.

"Henry, where are you going?" Snow asked, seeing as Emma was still too stunned to talk.

"To find my _mom_," he snapped, stressing the title, and making a point in showing that she was not his _mother, _but his _mom_.

"And by the way, "he added, once he stepped outside, "if you had insisted on going back to New York, you would've gone back alone." He finished matter of factly, before he stormed out of the diner.

"Can someone please explain to us what the hell is going on?" Snow ordered impatiently, while Hook moved to comfort a frozen Emma. He clearly saw how hard her son's words affected her, and as much as he wanted to know what the hell was going on, he knew he had to take her out of there.

"Come on, love, let's get out of here," he instructed gently, but she was glued to the spot.

"Robin, what is going on?" it was Marian who asked this time, and Robin's blank face turned to her.

He opened his mouth to reply, but found himself at a loss for words. He looked like a fish, with his mouth opening and closing, a desperate attempt to conjure up words, but his brain seemed to be opting for the sidelines this time.

"Well, it looks like apples don't fall far from trees, and that your family is hell bound on seeing Regina miserable," Tinkerbelle snapped, before she too barreled out of the diner, in an attempt to catch up with Henry.

"What the hell was that all about?" David demanded, but received no answer.

That seemed to snap Robin out of his trance, and he looked around for a way to handle the situation with the least damage possible. His eyes landed on a very confused Little John, and an idea finally presented itself.

"Marian, take Roland and go with Little John. I will soon follow, and I promise I will explain everything," he instructed, as he pushed her towards an approaching John.

"But…."she tried to object.

"Please, just trust me," he almost begged, and she nodded.

"Come on, Roland." Little John called, but the boy shook his head defiantly, and grabbed onto his father's leg.

"NO," he said angrily, stomping his foot to emphasize his displeasure, "I want to know where Gina went, and why she was so upset!" he demanded defiantly, and Robin couldn't help but curse the luck that gave Roland his stubborn streak.

"Roland, go with your mother, and I will be back soon. Regina was just a bit tired, and so she went home," he lied, and a bad lie at that, but good thing kids were fooled easily.

"Will you go check on her?" he asked innocently, and Robin couldn't help but scowl. He could feel Marian's confused and shocked stare at the back of his skull, and he also knew that Henry would never let him near his mother right now.

"Indeed I will."

His son did not need to know how complicated life had just gotten, he had gotten attached to Regina, and the latter was wonderful with him. Even back at the Enchanted Forest, when they couldn't stand each other, she was always great with Roland.

His son nodded reluctantly, and huffed out irritably and in defeat, before begrudgingly taking his mother's hand, and following the adults out of the diner.

"Robin," Snow called expectantly.

He sighed in both frustration and pain alike, for it seemed that this time was worse than when he _literally_ lost her heart. She told him how hard it was for her to open up, why it was hard for her to let go of the anger, why she was so scared. And he just made her worst fear come true.

"Shortly after Regina married your father, she met Tinkerbelle. She told her that she could love again, and she led her to a tavern where the man she was destined to be with was. Daniel had just died, and her fear of getting hurt again stopped her from pursuing it. She thought that if she stayed in a loveless marriage, that there are less chances of her getting hurt. She never went in, and she never saw his face," he recounted, and Snow shifted uncomfortably at the jab at how her father treated Regina. She was about to open her mouth to protest, but one look from Robin told her that it wasn't a good idea.

"The only thing she saw," he continued, lifting up his right arm, and pulling down his sleeve, revealing his lion tattoo, "was his tattoo."

A collection of gasps was heard from those in the diner, and Emma's eyes fell shut at the realization of just how much she messed up.

* * *

Tinkerbelle jogged down the path and onto the street, halting momentarily, her eyes scanning the seemingly deserted streets in an effort to locate Henry. She found him a few feet ahead of her, no doubt heading towards the place where he thinks his mother is.

"Henry, wait up," she called, as she sprinted after him.

The angry twelve year old did not stop, but he did slow down his angry pace to give her enough time to catch up. Once she reached him, she silently put a hand on his shoulder, and they walked side by side in total silence. Both were thinking of anything they could possibly say to console Regina, especially Tink, for this was all on her. Or at least most of it was.

After a little over half an hour of walking, they finally reached the big white mansion. Henry could feel a pang of guilt, as he laid eyes on it. This was his home, for so long, it was only filled with his chatter, and Regina's happy laughs. But then…..then he learned that he was adopted, and automatically assumed that she did not love him. He threw away ten years of happy memories, completely ignoring all the pained looks she gave him when he accused her of being incapable of love.

Robin wasn't the first person she had opened up to, she had opened her heart for him. She took him in, raised him, nurtured him, loved him, and eventually sacrificed everything for his sake. And he was no better than Robin, he used every piece of it against her, he hurt her deeply and repeatedly. He pushed her away, and eventually walked out of her house. And despite the numerous times he missed her, he did not go to her. Not until it was too late, and the surprise in her eyes had hurt him. She truly did not think that he loved her, and for that he had no one to blame but himself.

Once they reached the footpath, he broke out of Tink's hold, and sprinted towards the front door. He didn't knock, he didn't ring the bell, he went straight for the knob and turned it. He nearly danced with joy when it turned, and he walked in, leaving it open for Tink to catch up with him.

As soon as he stepped inside, he heard the faint sound of sniffling coming from their living room, and when he craned his neck from the top of the foyer steps, he saw the fire blazing, but no signs of his mother. He walked slowly towards the couch, and was finally able to spot her head. She was sitting on the floor, her legs bent beside her, and her back resting against the back of the couch.

He walked around the couch, and finally got a good look at her face. He saw the tear streaks glowing on her cheeks under the fire glow, as her eyes stared unseeing at the burning flames. Her lips were quivering with every shuddered breath she released, and her arms were wrapped around her middle, in a desperate effort to console herself.

He heard Tink's hesitant steps enter the house, followed by the soft click of the door as she closed it. He approached Regina slowly, trying to get her attention without startling her, but it seemed that she was lost inside her own world.

"Mom," he called softly, and her head whipped around to him, her arms reflexively letting go of her middle.

He couldn't stop the soft gasp that left his lip at the look in her eyes, he had only seen her this hurt and broken less than a handful of times, and he was not proud to admit to it, but it was always because of him. But he always saw the hint of resolve in her eyes, the determination, but not this time.

This time, he saw the complete surrender, he saw that she had no will to fight any longer.

And he also saw the surprise at the sight of him, and it pained him greatly. He really had some major making up to do with her, but first thing's first.

He fell to his knees next to her, and wordlessly wrapped his arms around her waist, tucking in his head under her chin, and resting his cheek against her moving chest, breathing in her scent.

"I'm here, Mom" was all he could say.

But it seemed that it was more than enough for his mother to completely lose it.

Her body started to shake in his arms, her own wrapping tightly around him, as she buried her nose and mouth in his hair, and he felt her hot tears on the top of his head.

Her sobs gradually became louder, the tighter his arms got around her, and her arms had gotten chokingly tight around him, but he did not care nor mind. He missed her terribly, and he missed being in her arms like that. It brought back memories of a time, when the safest place on earth was by her side.

He felt another pair of arms surround them, and knew they belonged to Tink, especially when he heard the woman's broken apology.

"I'm so sorry, Regina."

* * *

**Good or bad? Stop or Continue?**

**Well, that is up to you my dear readers :) let me know what you all think of this, and if you want me to continue or not. **


	2. Chapter 2

It had been hours, or maybe even mere minutes, Henry did not know, nor did he care. He hadn't moved an inch from his place within his mother's arms, and her arms hadn't gone any less tight around him, even when she drifted off to sleep.

Regina stayed wrapped in their arms, staring blankly at the blazing fire, and receving the silent comfort she so desperately needed. Tinkerbelle had whispered countless apologizes to Regina, which only seemed to make Regina sob harder. And now, the blonde fairy sat silently behind Regina, her arms still wrapped around the fragile woman, and her ever growing son.

After some time, Henry felt Tink pull back from their embrace.

"She's asleep," she pointed out in a whisper.

"I know," was all Henry mumbled against Regina's moving chest. He didn't need Tink to tell him that his mother had fallen asleep, he knew from the sound of her beating heart that she had. He knew her, and he was glad that he hadn't forgotten the small things that he had picked up about his mother over the years.

He had listened to the echo of her sobs, resonating inside the hollowness within. He knew her heart broke, and that she was filled with despair, and he could clearly hear it within the echoes. He heard her sobs quiet down to sniffling, before they turned into the occasional sleeping whimper. Her heart rate had slowed down when she drifted off to sleep, but he could still feel the sadness and despair seeping through her veins with every beat, and it broke his heart knowing that he can't take it all away. Her head had turned at some point, so her mouth was no longer buried in his hair, but rather her cheek rested on top of his head, where he was sure a lake of her tears had formed by now.

He heard the shuffling sounds of Tink as she got to her knees, so she can face him.

"Can you go get your wand, so we can move her to bed? I don't think this is comfortable," he asked her quietly, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness, before she reached into her pocket.

"I brought it with me to the naming ceremony, I wanted to give the baby a present," she explained, before she moved the white, glowing stick, and in the blink of an eye, Henry found himself sinking into his mother's soft bed, her arms still wound around him like vine.

He heard Tink's footsteps, and craned his neck to take a better look at her, watching as she tiptoed towards the room. She stood in the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips at the sight of mother and son. To Henry's surprise, she waved the wand again. He smiled at her gratefully, when he felt himself liberated from his jeans and coat. He looked at his mom, and found her in one of her silk pajamas, while he was in sweat pants, and comfortable shirt.

"Thank you," he said softly, and she only nodded in response.

He watched her pull the door closed, before he turned around and once again buried his face in his mother's chest, taking in her comforting scent, and allowing it to flood his brain with tons of memories from his childhood.

Now that he had his memories back, he knew what it felt like for everyone else when the curse broke. They had two sets of memories in their heads, but he did not see why they were all so confused. To him, it was a matter of choice, because for some of them, the fake memories that Regina gave them was better than the life they had. But for him, it wasn't as simple.

Regina gave him and Emma memories that they always had each other, the memories of the life that they both wanted, but she was mistaken. Yes, at first Henry thought he wished he wanted to grow up with Emma, but once the fairytale fog cleared, and when he actually moved to live with Emma, he discovered that he missed Regina. He missed her more than he ever thought possible, but every time her name came up, Emma's face showed signs of betrayal, so he would change the subject.

And now, he actually has memories of growing up with Emma, but he didn't want them back, and he didn't want them to come true. He loved Emma with all of his heart, but she wanted to once again take him away from Regina, and this time, without even telling him about what he was giving up. She didn't want him to get his memories back, so she can take him away and go back to a life where only a fraction of it was real. She wanted him to live a complete lie, just so that she wouldn't feel guilty. And the sad truth is, he was the one who made her think that she had the right to make that kind of decision for him. He was the one who told her time and time again, that Regina did not matter, because she wasn't his _real_ mother.

So as he snuggled more into his mother's arms, who instinctively tightened her arms around his body, and adjusted the position of her head on top of his, as he tucked his beneath her chin, he knew that he was finally home.

* * *

Tinkerbelle walked back down the stairs, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings in search for any signs that Regina had a violent meltdown before they arrived, but happily found none. She was about to head to the kitchen to get some water, when she heard the distinct sounds of car doors closing, and hushed voices. She narrowed her eyes, almost as if daring her own thoughts to be true. She had a feeling she knew who those voices belonged to, and she wasn't sure if she was hoping-for their sakes-that she was wrong, or-so she can give them another piece of her mind-that she was right.

She made her way to the door, and swung it open, revealing the last three people who should be on the other side of that door in particular, about halfway through the footpath.

"You three have got some nerve coming here," she hissed, as she stepped onto the front porch, and pulled the door closed behind her.

She saw Emma sigh in frustration, and an eye roll from David, which only added fuel to her already blazing fury.

"How is she?" Snow asked, worry evident in her voice, though Tink was not sure if it was for Regina, or their own safety.

"How do you think? Your daughter just brought Robin's lost wife, effectively taking him away from Regina, and once again breaking her heart, and proving to her, that love only brings you pain and heartache!" Tink seethed, and saw David's posture change to one of attack, but a don't-even-think-about-it look out of her wisely kept him quiet.

"It's not like I consciously wanted to destroy Regina's happiness, I didn't think…."Emma's explanation was interrupted by Tink's angry voice.

"Yes, that's the problem, you didn't _think_. You never think about the consequences, even back in Neverland, you were always the one who never thought anything through. If you had given it any thought, you would've recognized the name…." this time Emma's frustrated voice cut through her angry rant.

"I didn't know they were together!" she exclaimed.

"What about the effects it would've had on the timeline? Did you ever think about that?" Tink countered, and Emma looked to the ground.

"You never think anything through Emma, and this time, there is no one to clean up after you!" Tink dead-panned.

"Where's my son?" Emma asked, almost through gritted teeth. She did not like what that fairy was saying one bit-mostly because deep down she knew it was true-but she didn't want to pick a fight in front of Regina's house, and risk pissing off the brunette even further. After all, it was a miracle that Regina wasn't out here trying to rip out her heart in the first place, and she was not about to rock that boat.

"He's upstairs asleep in his mother's arms," came Tink's simple answer, but the underlying meaning was not lost on any of them.

"I can carry him," David suggested, his eyes daring Tink to counter his offer.

"I'm sure if he wanted to go anywhere, he would've left with me, as opposed to asking me to magically change his clothes to something more comfortable so he can sleep, before snuggling more into his mother's arms," she countered, the fury within her eyes was enough to light up the dark night, making David decide not to piss her off any further.

"Regina asked him to stay?" Emma asked, and Tink nearly slapped the woman for her stupidity.

"She's his _mom_, she doesn't have to ask him to do anything. She cried herself to sleep, as she desperately clung to him. He decided to stay on his own accord, she didn't ask him to stay, and she didn't put a spell on him."

Emma's jaw clenched at the constant blows she was receiving from Tink, and briefly contemplated picking that fight she had put off as to not anger Regina any further, but one look at the green fairy, and she realized that she won't be the winning party.

"I'll…uh…."she cleared her throat to get rid of the lump that had formed, "I'll swing by in the morning to pick him up."

"If I were you, I'd wait for his call, because I am guessing you are the last person Regina wants to see at the moment. And if Henry needs you, he'll know how to get ahold of you," Tink snapped.

She did not like one bit how Emma perceived herself to be the primary parent in Henry's life, while completely discarding Regina onto the sidelines. She had seen her do it many times while they tried to battle the witch, but had decided not to pick a fight among them, so as to not divide the troops. But now, the Wicked Witch was gone, and she did not care one bit about how Emma was treating Regina when it comes to Henry, and she was going to let her know.

Emma just nodded solemnly at Tink, before she turned around and rushed off to her car. Snow gave Tink one last sad smile, before she followed her daughter, with David's arm around her.

Tink looked at the house, and briefly wondered if she should spend the night. After all, those three idiots may ignore her warnings, and come back in the morning. Or worse, Robin might.

She stood there, in the middle of the footpath, her eyes looking at the window that belonged to the Mayor's room, which no longer housed the mayor, but rather a broken mother and her son. After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided that what Regina really needed was nestled safely in her arms, and that she should give mother and son some time alone. God knows they haven't had that in far too long.

* * *

Regina woke up the next morning to persistent pounding, though it did not come from the door, but rather her head. She knew the feeling of that rhythmic pounding-like a tribal ritual was being performed inside her head-after all, she had woken up to it many times before.

On the many nights when she would cry herself to sleep, she would wake up with that headache in the morning, and if she wasn't careful, it will turn into a raging migraine.

She hadn't opened her eyes yet, she didn't want to. She wanted to escape the harsh reality, and go back into her dream world. Back into the world where she was happy, a world that held no heartache, and no sadness. She didn't want to face the repercussions of the events of the previous night. And she most certainly did not want to meet any of the Charmings! She may not be out for their heads any more, not even Emma's-after all, hurting her will upset Henry, and she wasn't about to lose him again- but that did not mean that she was ready to play nice. If she were to have it her way, she would never see their faces again, Emma included.

She did not want to face any of the townspeople, she did not want to see the looks in their eyes. She knew those looks, for they were one of two; either pity, or satisfaction that she was once again suffering.

And the one person she _really_ did not want to see, was the man who broke her heart to begin with, the one whom she knew was going to try and talk to her. She did not want to hear what he had to say, nor did she have anything to say to him. All she wanted was for everyone to leave her the hell alone, except for her son.

She knew that if it weren't for Henry, she would've probably put the sleeping curse on herself the second she walked back into the house. Or maybe even packed all of her stuff and left the town all together, but she was not about to give him up again. She gave him up once, and it nearly destroyed her, and she had promised him that she will never do it again. The promise that had been so genuine, that even though she did not have her heart, it was still enough to break the curse.

Therefore, the only person she wanted in her life right now, was her son, her little prince, her one true love.

But then she suddenly remembered, that in the midst of everything, she had forgotten to take his cellphone number, which meant that the only way to get a hold of him, was to ask one of the insufferable Charmings, or even worse, Emma. Even if she managed to avoid talking to them, she would still have to leave her house to see him.

She scolded herself, and sighed in frustration, when she suddenly felt the bed move behind her.

She opened her eyes, and was met with bright red numbers on the clock, signaling that it was nearly ten. She slowly turned her head around, as her body slowly followed suite, so she can look at who was the source of the shifting. Her eyes landed on a brown mop of disheveled hair, one that she hadn't seen in her bed in a very long time, and one that the sight of, always brought her joy, even in her darkest moments.

She turned around fully, so that she was now facing him, with his face turned away from her, as he slept on his back. Her mind finally caught up to the fact that not only were they both asleep in her bed-when the last thing she remembers is sitting by the fire with him in her arms-but that they were also in their sleepwear.

She didn't give it much thought, as she reached forward and brushed her fingers through his hair, subconsciously moving closer to him in the process. She watched him sleep, just like she used to when he was little. She remembers standing in the nursery for hours on end, just watching him sleep. Or sat on the couch, doing absolutely nothing but watch, enticed, how he played with his bare hands, or some simple toy. The sound of his carefree laugh, and his squeals as she mercilessly tickled his stomach, still rang in her ears. Especially when he would look at her, and claim that she wasn't his mother, those were the times that she had wished more than ever that she can have a time machine, so she can go back to a time when she was his whole world.

She had to admit that she was surprised that he stayed, even when he came barging through last night, and even though he sat with her for God knows how long till she fell asleep, even then she was sure that he will leave; which was why she clung to his body, trying her best to prolong the moment of his departure. But it seems that she was mistaken, for there he lay, right next to her, looking so peaceful in his sleep, that she couldn't help but lean forward and plant a soft kiss to his head.

Even though it was the last thing she intended, the kiss made him stir, as he turned his head towards her. She instinctively moved even closer to him, put her arm around him, and buried her nose and mouth into his hair, where she tried to lull him back to sleep.

To her surprise, he snuggled more into her, and moved one arm to lie on top of hers over his stomach, before he pressed his head into her mouth a bit harder, making her wonder if he knew whose bed he was asleep in, and if he knew that he was in her arms and not Emma's.

The answer came, when his eyes fluttered open, and peaceful, serene green eyes met her terrified and anticipating brown ones. He smiled brightly at her, and she was shocked when he showed no signs of surprise that he was in her bed. On the contrary, he looked absolutely content.

"Morning," he greeted, his voice still a bit hoarse, and slightly groggy.

"Morning, sweetheart," she said affectionately, as she rubbed his stomach in an effort to help him shake off the last remnants of sleep.

She saw how when the last remaining sleep fog cleared away, his eyes saddened a bit, and the guilt began to creep into them, along with held back tears.

She furrowed her brows in confusion as to the sudden change of state, but did not get a chance to ask, since his next words stunned her into complete and utter silence.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice sounding much-too much-like her when she begged him to forgive her before.

"Wha…"

She didn't get a chance to finish, since he interrupted her, "I left you when you needed me the most, I saw the love in your eyes, but I chose to ignore it, ignore all those years I had with you, ignore all the things you did for me…" he listed tearfully, "I thought you didn't love me, that I didn't have a family because you and I were not related by blood, but I was wrong. I thought that just because you didn't give birth to me, that you don't love me. You tried to change for me, but all I did was hurt you, or let others hurt you without even defending you. I didn't believe in you when you needed it, and I didn't even come to you when I missed you….I….."His hysterical rant was cut short by Regina pulling him into her arms, and wrapping them tightly around him.

His body shook with sobs, as he gasped for breath, his face buried in his mother's chest, and his head tucked under her chin. He missed being in her arms like that, for that was when he knew he was safe. He knew that she will never let anything happen to him, after all, she never did.

"Henry, you have nothing to apologize for. You did what you thought was right, and you were just a child," she soothed, "I told you before that I don't know how to love very well, and I may have showed it in all the wrong ways," she choked out into his hair.

He shook his head against her chest, but did not pull back from the hug," you never let anything happen to me, even when I was mad at you, you always told me you loved me, always made sure I was safe. You even went on a ship with people that you couldn't stand for my sake, you tried to change and instead of me standing by you, I walked away and left you. You were always there for me, even when I kept pushing you away, you never left…"he gasped.

"Of course I never left, you're my son, and nothing in this world can ever change that," she assured him, "you are the one thing I got right in my life, and I will be very much damned if I let anyone hurt you," she added lovingly, smiling when she felt him nod.

"I know," he said confidently, and she couldn't help but smile tearfully at the trust in his voice.

She loosened her arms a bit, when she felt him pull back, her heart clenching a bit at the sight of tears in his eyes, before she cupped his cheek, softly caressing it with her thumb, as she wiped away the tears.

"I know that it seemed that I always go to Emma, but don't forget that I always come back to you. Even when this whole town was about to perish, I wanted to be in your arms till the last second," he confessed, and it was now her turn to allow the tears to slide down her cheeks, "I saw the surprise in your eyes yesterday when you saw me, and today when you found me here, and I know that you didn't expect me to stay all night. But even though I love Emma, and even though I know what it feels like to have her as my sole parent, but I don't wish for that life any more. I can't wish for a life where you weren't my mom," he added sincerely, and Regina was having a hard time keeping the sobs at bay, "I know I hurt you a lot before, and that I only proved Cora's words-that love was weakness- and what you believed and feared-that it would only bring you pain-but I promise that I won't do it again. I won't leave you again, I promise," he vowed, trying his best to show all the love he has for her in his eyes, and on his face.

"Thank you baby, that means a lot to me, but…"she cleared her throat, as she averted her eyes, "it wasn't all your fault. I lied to you, made you feel like you were crazy and unloved, even unwanted. I did terrible things in my past, and even some of it while I still had you," she confessed, unknowingly repeating the words he said to her right after the curse broke, and making the guilt within him increase a thousand folds.

"I know that I told you that, but I was wrong. If anything, the way you acted when Emma came, proved that you loved me more than anything else," he retorted, and she finally met his eyes again in a confused look.

He smiled softly at her, before he said the words that she never thought she'll hear from him, "if you only cared about the curse, you would've given me to Emma to end it all, but you didn't. You fought to keep me, and didn't want me to believe that I was right because you knew I would leave you. You weren't just trying to keep your curse intact, you were trying to hold on to me. And yes, you may have gone about it the wrong way, but who hasn't gone the dark path once or twice? Even Snow and David, they both did. The only difference being that they both had someone in their lives who pulled them back, they both had someone who believed in them unconditionally, but you never did. No one ever offered you a second chance without any strings attached, not even me."

Regina's eyes were gaping at him, she never thought she would ever hear those words spoken to her, and certainly not from him. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss to his forehead, "I love you so much," she choked, "my little prince," she added tearfully, when she pulled back to look him in the eye.

He grinned at the title she had been calling him for as long as he can remember, "I know, I love you too, and I want you to know that, from now on, I will always be here for you," he vowed.

"Thank you baby," she said gratefully, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"So do you want to tell me how we got here?" she asked, in an effort to lighten the mood, "I don't think you've grown enough to carry me," she teased, smiling brightly when he laughed. God did she miss hearing him laugh like that.

"Sadly, I'm not. Tink transported us here with magic," he said, though he regretted saying the fairy's name as soon as it left his mouth.

"She did?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, she had her wand with her, because she wanted to give the baby a present, so she used it to move us both to the room," he explained, and she nodded.

"And the clothes?" she inquired.

"She did that too," he replied.

"I suppose I owe her a thank you, especially for coming," she stated.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"And I suppose we also need to buy you some new clothes, cause I'm willing to bet that you've outgrown everything I have here," she added.

"Yep, but I don't even know what Tink did to the clothes I wore last night, and it's too cold for me to go out like that," he pointed out.

"You don't have to," she said softly, and Henry saw something flash in her eyes.

He expected her to snap her fingers, and a bunch of clothes to appear on the sofa by the window. But instead, she pushed the covers off the two of them.

"Come on, I want to show you something," she urged.

He followed her silently to her closet, and saw her bending over to grab a few shopping bags that were neatly placed under her hung dresses.

"When I saw you at the diner, and realized that you were back, I went out and bought you these," she confessed, as she pulled out a pair of jeans, a dark red sweater, and royal blue pajamas.

"I figured since I missed a couple of your birthdays…." Her voice trailed off, sadness suddenly taking over her features, as she remembered that one of those birthdays she missed was because he shunned her, and preferred to spend it with Emma.

Henry was speechless, and like his mother, he too remembered that one of those birthdays took place in Storybrooke, and he was also not so happy to realize, that no one had remembered it. They were too absorbed by Snow killing Cora, the stranger who entered the town, Neal and what not, that they totally forgot his birthday, even Emma.

"I had already bought you a gift before we left for Neverland, but when we came back here, I didn't find it, I guess the curse didn't care for it," she stated, when he didn't say anything.

Henry's eyes moved back to hers, and she saw the tears in them. But before she could get anything out, he put the things on the bed, and threw himself at her. She caught him with ease, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Happy Birthday baby."

Henry tightened his arms around her even more, and inhaled her scent. The amount of love in her voice overwhelmed him, and made him regret all that wasted time.

"Thanks, Mommy," he mumbled against her body, using the title he had forgone when he turned six, and had decided to be too old to use it. And judging by the soft whimper that escaped Regina's lips, she missed hearing as much as he missed saying it, if not more.

* * *

**OMG! The response I got to the story was overwhelming. Thanks to all who followed/favorite and of course reviewed, I am speechless. And very very sorry for the late update, this was supposed to be last week, but work and the flu got in the way.  
****I will try to update every week, but I cant make any promises, I'm afraid, but I do promise that I wont keep you waiting for long. **

**I know that this is borderline Emma bashing, but like I said in the first chapter, Emma was never one of my favorite characters, and now I REALLY don't like her, so if I offended any one, I do apologize.**

**Let me know what you all think of it.**

**Thanks. **


	3. Chapter 3

Regina stood at the stove, trying her best to ignore the flood of memories that swarmed her mind, now that she had a minute to herself. Henry was in his bathroom showering and getting ready for the day, but not before he had asked her to make her special Sunday breakfast. He had put on his most adorable puppy face, and batted his eyelashes at her, as an extra means of conviction. Of course he didn't need to do any of that, for at that moment in time, he can ask her for anything, and she won't say no. She missed him too much, and she missed doing everything for him. So for all she cared, he could run up the stairs and leave his shoes behind, and he won't hear a peep out of her.

But the problem was, with Henry in the shower, she finally had a moment to think about the events of the previous night, or more like previous day. And to make matters worse, being in the kitchen was not serving as a distraction, but rather a reminder.

For it was only yesterday when she stood at the same spot, flipping the eggs and preparing the toast for Robin. He had spent the night with her, and God did they make the most of it. She had woken up happy, content, and serene. He had spent the entire morning with her, even as she cooked, he stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, as he watched her expertly maneuver the many pots and pans on the stove. He feathered kisses into her hair, and onto her neck. He whispered things to her, sweet things, things that she had not heard from a man in a very long time, that she literally forgot how it made her feel.

They sat by the fire, talked, kissed, and shared things about their lives. She had opened up to him, told him things that no one knew about. He had told her that things work out when they are meant to, that it was all about timing. He had told her how he wished he could walk through hell so he can be with Marian again, how he had felt guilty for her death for so long, that it nearly destroyed him. His eyes had saddened, and his strokes through her hair became ones of comfort rather than love, when she professed to him how Daniel was killed, simply because he loved her.

They had talked for hours, about all the painful things they had gone through. They had consoled each other, pointed out the bright sides. They only moved on to happier topics when Little John showed up with Roland. Roland, the kid she had grown to love. For in the weeks she had spent with Robin, she had also spent a lot of time with Roland. She had spent many days chasing him around the woods, playing hide and seek with him, and sometimes just cuddling him, and telling him stories. Not to mention their time back in the Enchanted Forrest, she was surprised by the lack of wariness on the child's part towards her, the lack of fear. For all she saw in his eyes, were curiosity. Curiosity that soon turned to fondness, and before long, love. That unconditional, innocent love that only a child is capable of giving. And one that she had not received from Henry in too long.

"Smells good," Henry exclaimed, as he walked into the kitchen, effectively snapping her out of her own troubled thoughts, and bringing her back to reality, the cruel, harsh reality.

"Well, I do hope that it tastes as good as it smells," she quipped, smiling softly at him, as she eyed him in the clothes that she bought.

"So do I," he teased, grinning widely at her failed attempt at a glare.

"I was worried about the size," she remarked, as she eyed his clothes critically.

"They're perfect," he mumbled, and Regina immediately knew that something was on his mind.

She immediately abandoned whatever it was that she was doing, and walked over to him. He had taken a sudden interest in an invisible line on the floor, and wouldn't look at her. She used her thumb and forefinger to cup his chin, and lifted his head so she can look him in the eye. Her eyes looked into his searchingly, brown meeting green. She saw the love, the remorse, the sympathy, but they were all almost fading in comparison to some other emotion that she could not quite place.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" she asked worriedly, as she crouched down in front of him.

"It's just…." He trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence without opening any old wounds for his mother. God knows she has enough new ones to deal with.

"You know you can tell me anything," she soothed, as she rested her knees on the hardwood floor, placed a hand on his side, and began rubbing it up and down, in an effort to calm his fidgeting. His hand immediately stopped, and one of his fists found the neckline of her dress, and clenched his fingers around it.

"I….It's….it's just that my birthday was after Grandma killed your mom," he blurted out, and she only nodded at him to continue, "you still remembered it," he finally finished in a small voice, as the tears that he had been keeping down finally glistened his eyes.

She couldn't help the sad smile that graced her lips, as she used her thumb to caress his cheek.

"Oh baby," she breathed sadly, pulling him into her arms.

He gladly welcomed the hug, and buried his face in her neck, as he fisted his fingers around the back of her dress. She rubbed her hands up and down his back, as she murmured kisses into his hair. She kept him in her arms for a few moments, not saying anything, just holding him close.

With a final sigh and a kiss, she pulled back from the hug, slid her hand down to his own, and got to her feet. She guided him to one of the stools around the kitchen island, and took a seat next to him. She bowed her head a little so she can find his eyes, and make sure he looks into hers before she says her next words. She wanted him to see the sincerity, the truth.

"Henry, there are certain things, certain events, certain dates that you do not remember with your brain….they are engraved in your heart. That way, no matter what you have on your mind, your heart will remember," she explained gently, not caring to hide the desperation in her voice, "and there are two dates that I will remember as long as I live," she continued, her eyes begging him to believe her, "your birthday, and the day I brought you home," she finished, her own voice breaking at the end under the weight of the emotions.

He smiled happily at her, but she saw that something was still bothering him, though he did not give her too much time to wonder.

"Even after everything you know now, you still hold that date close to your heart?" he asked hesitantly.

"What I know now?" she repeated, and he nodded.

"Yes, knowing all the things that has happened because of me; Emma, breaking the curse, Pan, all the things I said to you," he listed, his tears now slowly rolling down his cheeks.

She smiled sadly at him, as she recalled a day in the not so distant past, "I knew all along," she said calmly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his confusion evident by the way his eyebrows furrowed.

Now it was her turn to take interest in an invisible spot on the counter between them, and she withdrew her hands away from his.

"When you drink a forgetting potion, it doesn't erase the thing you want forgotten, it only locks it away somewhere where you can't access it. But when something happens, something that serves as a trigger, the block is lifted, and you remember whatever it was you had locked away," she explained, and waited for him to nod, before she continued, "so when you brought Emma here, something in me stirred, and when I put the pieces together about who she was, I remembered something that I had taken the potion to forget."

"What was it?" he asked.

"When I first adopted you, I doubted my abilities as a mother, and you sensed that, which in turn made you cry like crazy. I thought something might be wrong with you, so I took you to Whale. He said you seem fine, but that it might be something genetic causing all that. The adoption file was sealed, which meant I couldn't get the name of your birth parents. So I asked Sydney to find out, though it proved pointless later. One day, I begged you to give me a chance, and something inside me let go of all the fears, and…..and…and you felt it. You did just that, you gave me a chance. Just then, Sydney faxed me the information I asked for…." She trailed off, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. She still hadn't looked up at him, her hands now fidgeting together.

"You found out that I was Emma's," he finished for her, as he reached for her hands, and held back onto them.

She nodded slowly, the tears now clouding her vision of their intertwined fingers, as her mind conjured up a thousand images of tiny fingers lacing through her larger ones, making her heart ache for simpler times, "Yeah I did, and I realized that one day she will come for you….a…an…and it also made me believe that if I kept you, you will grow up to hate me, that you never calmed down with me because you knew who I was. After all, it was genetic for you to hate me," she choked out, "I thought the best thing I can do for you, was give you up. That I would give you to another family to raise you, that you were better off without me," she confessed tearfully, her breath becoming more and more shallow and rugged by the minute, as she struggled to keep talking through all the floods of emotions that were swarming inside her. She had thought a lot about whether or not she should tell Henry, but when he asked her directly about regretting her decision to keep him, she couldn't lie to him. Not again, not anymore. She would tell him the truth, and hope that he will believe her when she says that she thought she was doing what was best for him, and pray with every fiber of her being, call out to whatever higher power to help her show him the depth of her love, and get him to believe, and moreover, to make sure he doesn't leave her again, for this time she won't be able to handle it.

"But you didn't," he stated curiously.

She finally lifted her head to meet his eyes, and smiled tearfully at him, "I couldn't," she stated through her tears, as the image of the tiny bundle who smiled at her whenever she so much as looked at him flashed before her eyes.

"You couldn't?" he repeated questioningly, and she nodded.

"When the moment came to actually giving you up, I felt like someone was ripping out my heart, and sticking a thousand daggers into it," she almost sobbed, "you were my son. For all intents and purposes, you were mine, and no one, and nothing could ever change that," she vowed.

"But you took the potion to forget?" he wondered, and she averted her gaze once more.

"Yes, I did. I didn't want to sit around waiting for the impending doom, I couldn't raise you with that fear intruding on every single moment we had. I knew that in order for me to be able to give you my full attention, I had to forget about Emma. Not because she was your mother, but because she was the only one capable of breaking the curse," she replied tearfully, "and I wanted to enjoy you without the cloud of impending doom hovering over my head," she finished.

Her eyes were still focused on her thumb as it caressed his knuckles, and she closed them in pain when she saw his hand slip from hers. She was waiting for the angry rant, for all the hateful remarks. All the times he claimed she didn't love him, all the times he claimed that she wasn't his real mother, were playing like a movie.

But none of that came, and her eyes flew open when she felt someone cup her cheek. She stared in shock, anticipation, and desperation alike, into his deep sorrowful eyes, trying her best to decipher the look he was giving her. The tears he shed tugged at her heart, and she wanted nothing more than to wipe them away, but was too afraid to move even one muscle.

He looked deeply into her eyes, before his face broke into a truly happy smile, "I'm glad you never gave me back," he said, and she couldn't help the soft gasp.

He threw his arms around her neck, and she was quick to envelop him in her arms, one hand easily found his brown hair, and got entangled in it, as she buried her nose and mouth into it, her tears dampening his hair.

"I love you so much, Henry," she sobbed.

He tightened his arms around her, "I love you too, Mom. And I am sorry I said that you weren't my real mother, because you are."

Those words knocked the wind out of her, and made her soft whimpers turn into full out sobs. Henry only held her tighter in response, and buried his face deeper into her neck.

* * *

**I apologize in advance for any mistakes, but it is 2 am here, and I am half asleep already, so I will re-read it all tomorrow and correct any mistakes. **

**Thanks to all who read, followed, and of course reviewed. **

**Reviews motivate me to write faster, so the faster they come, the faster I write and upload. **

**Moreover, if you guys get the reviews to 100, the 100th reviewer gets a prompt :) as long as it is not SwanQueen :) Sorry.**

**You know what makes me happy, so keep'em coming. **


	4. Chapter 4

Emma sat at the counter, staring at her phone, just like she had been doing since she woke up. David was standing behind the counter, watching her as he dried off the last of the plates. He turned his head to the side when he heard the shuffling of feet, and saw Snow exiting the room where she had just put the baby down. Their eyes locked, and he shook his head in sadness at her silent question, before he finally put the plate back on the shelf.

Snow sighed sadly, as she made her way over to her daughter, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "still no word from him?" she asked softly.

Emma shook her head sadly, "no. His phone is still off," she replied solemnly.

"His battery probably died," David offered, as a means of explaining why her son was completely ignoring her.

"I know it did, but…." She trailed off, her hand finding her hair, and brushing it aside in frustration, "he always made sure his phone was charged because he knew that it was how I got a hold of him. But seeing as he didn't even bother calling at all, not even from Regina's phone, it means he didn't even check. It means he doesn't even know that his battery is dead, and he doesn't care," she ranted angrily.

Before either of them could get another word out, they heard footsteps, before the door swung open to reveal Henry, wearing something different than the clothes he was wearing the night before, and ones that Emma did not recognize.

She took a step in his direction, her intent of hugging him very much evident, but halted in her tracks when not only did he not set a step in her direction as well, but also put both his hands inside his coat pockets, making his intention very clear as well.

"I called you a bunch of times," she said, when he remained quiet.

"My battery must've died," he stated, making it clear that he didn't even check his phone.

"Well, the charger is right where you left it," she suggested, and he gave her a small smile in return.

"I left it at home, I'll charge it when I get back," he said simply, and Emma felt like someone just punched her in the stomach.

He said _home_, not Regina's house, or mom's house…..no, _home_. And he didn't even bring his phone with him, he was going back there, which is what he just said. Her mouth was hung open in shock and pain alike, and when her pained eyes found his, the anger in them softened a bit, but the resolve did not budge.

"You're spending the night there again?" Snow asked tentatively, though judging by his stance, and demeanor, she already knew the answer to that.

"Yeah, I'm staying with her for a while, she still needs me," he deadpanned, before heading for the room where he left his charger, and completely ignoring the soft gasp that left Emma's lips.

"Henry!" she called after him, her voice showing the amount of pain she felt, and it succeeded in halting him in his tracks, but he did not turn around.

He heard the pain in her voice, and it tugged at his heart, but he was still mad at her, pissed even. His morning conversation with Regina, and all the thinking he did last night, were still fresh in his mind, and he was not ready to act like everything was alright, and that nothing was wrong. Like she did nothing wrong, both to him and to his mother. And so, he kept his back turned to her, not because he was trying to hurt her, but because he was still trying to get his emotions under control.

"You're going back to her house?" she asked incredulously, though this time, pain wasn't the only emotion lacing the words, but also disbelief, which only served to piss him off even further.

Why was it so surprising to her that he wants to stay with his mother?

Though he knew the answer to that question, and he did not like it.

The question, however, did succeed in getting him to turn around, and his answer was a simple nod, no explanations, no excuses, no reasons…..just a nod.

"Don't you think you should talk to me first?" she wondered, her pain taking a back seat to her anger, and disappointment.

Henry cocked his head to the side in wonder, "did we talk to her before you packed me up and took me with you to New York? Did you talk to her before you decided to take me back to New York? Did you even talk to me?" he listed, without giving her a chance to answer.

"Henry, Emma doesn't really need to take Regina's permission when it comes to you, you're her son," David pointed out as a matter of fact.

It was the wrong thing to say, even Snow knew that. And Emma, even though she believed those words to be true, she would not have put it like that. But the words had been spoken, and it was too late for damage control, or sugar coating.

She had closed her eyes when her son listed his questions, and they flew open at David's words. She was still looking at Henry, and she did not see her son, she did not see any means of a resemblance between the two of them. Instead, she saw a young man fit to carry the name 'Mills', and one fit to call Regina his mother. For at that moment in time, he looked more like Regina, than Cora herself ever did.

His eyes narrowed, and grew darker, his entire face clenched in anger, as the rest of his body started to shake with rage.

"Yes. She. Does." He enunciated every word, spitting them out through gritted teeth, "she was the one who raised me, loved me, nurtured me, soothed every fever, and endured every tantrum. She was the one who was there when I was scared, when I fell and scrapped my knee. She was the one who taught me everything I know, she was the one who always put me first. Even when I kept pushing her away, when I called her the Evil Queen, accused her of not loving me, of not being capable of love…even then, she never stopped telling me she loved me, she never stopped trying to reach me, to pull me back in," he yelled it all in one breath, and only stopped when he ran out of air, his chest heaving and his cheeks blood shot from the effort.

His words cut through Emma's heart, but she found herself unable to find the right words to say. For it seemed her brain was too paralyzed by the amount of anger in her son's voice to think of anything else.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, but it takes more than just giving birth to be a mother," he added.

"Henry, I was trying to give you your best chance," she pleaded.

"I know, but you never checked to see if I got adopted or not. For all you knew, I could've been bouncing around foster homes, just like you were," he countered.

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but found herself incapable. He was right, she never bothered to check on him, she kept convincing herself that he was fine….truth be told, at some point, she never spared him a second thought.

"Look, I forgave you a long time ago, you did what you thought was best, and it all worked out fine. I'm glad you gave me up, because I had a wonderful life, and a very happy and healthy childhood. And I know that I was the one who made you think that it was alright for you to make all those decisions, and not even bother to take how mom feels into consideration, but it's not. She's my mom, she gets a say in everything, and so do I. You wanted me to keep the fake memories, so you can take me back to living a lie, you weren't even going to give me the chance to choose. You were gonna take me away with letting me know what I was really giving up," he continued.

"Henry, I didn't want you to remember everything that you went through," she defended, but even he could see that it was nothing more than just a lie.

"No, you didn't want me to remember my life so that I don't remember that all those wonderful memories I have with you are fake. You didn't want me to remember, because you were too scared that I will go back to Regina, and choose Storybrooke over New York, and you didn't want to stay, so you decided not to bother even asking me. You assumed I will go along, and that is on me. I was the one who made you think that she doesn't matter to me, and that I don't want her in my life, or at least not as much, anymore. And I may never be able to make it up to her, but at least I should try, at least I need to acknowledge what I did wrong. And I strongly suggest that you do the same, because every single person in this room has wronged her somehow, and never even bothered to acknowledge their mistakes," he finished determinedly.

"Henry, we weren't the ones who wronged her, we were nothing but kind to her," Snow defended, immediately regretting it when Henry's angry glare turned to her. He was so much like Regina, it was kind of intimidating.

"When is her birthday?" he asked simply, and a deathly silence fell over the room.

Snow opened her mouth a few times and closed it again in an attempt to come up with an answer, but found none.

"I know she made a lot of mistakes, and wronged many people, but at least she owns up to it. At least she doesn't pretend to be good, at least she tried to redeem herself and make up for them, but we left her alone and vulnerable to her mother to prey on, then got mad because she listened to her," his attack continued, and the Charmings were finding it increasingly difficult to come up with anything to refute his words.

"I did not come here to attack you, I am not angry, and I don't hold a grudge. But I will no longer stand by and watch you hurt her, and I will be damned if people kept their 'holier than thou' attitude, when most of them have done many terrible things in their lives. Some of them had a better life under the curse," he stated defiantly, "it takes more than just blood to create a bond, and I think we all know very well that sometimes blood means nothing. She's my mom, I love her, and I won't leave her again. So if either of you have any problems with that, then I suggest you find a way to deal with it," he finished.

"Henry," David sighed, seeing as his daughter was too stunned to say anything, "I know you are upset, and it's understandable. You love her, and you miss her. But that is no reason to throw us –your family- aside, we love you just as much as Regina does, and we are willing to do the same for you. Family means everything to us, and you know it," he tried to soothe the angry teenager.

Henry just looked at him incredulously, his eyes narrowing even further, before his lips broke into a tight smile, "how old am I now?" he asked coyly.

"12," David answered immediately.

"And how old was I when I went to get Emma?"

"10," this time it was Snow's voice that carried the answer.

"And how many birthdays did I have in New York?"

The question fell like a bomb, and the room became as silent as a graveyard. Emma had already figured out where he was going with his questions, and was too wracked with guilt and pain to talk. She had forgotten her own son's birthday, she didn't even remember forgetting about it till now. And Snow and David, well, for the life of them they couldn't even remember when his birthday was.

"Her mother had just died, and she still remembered. Despite the sadness and misery she was feeling, she still remembered. She even bought me a gift, but I was a brat, and refused to even ask about how she was," he listed, his voice rising a notch with every word he said.

"You know what?" he finally said, when everybody else seemed too stunned to talk, "I came here to get some of my things, but I'll just buy new ones. It'll be easier that way, when we come up with a system that works for all of us," he stated, before he side-stepped David and headed for the doors.

As soon as the doors opened, a collection of surprised exclamations was released from the four occupants of the apartment.

* * *

**Minutes Before...**

Regina sat in the car, watching as Henry walked up to the apartment building, and disappeared inside. She fought the urge to run after him, and tell him not to bother with his stuff, that she can buy him new things, just so that he wouldn't go back into that building. She was so afraid that when he goes back there, that he will remember why he left, that he will see what he is leaving, and decide to stay. Or worse, they could stop him from coming back to her. After all, she is heartbroken again, at the hands of one of the Charmings, so as far as they are concerned, she is unstable, and is not a fit parent for Henry.

But she pushed all those dark thoughts aside, and kept reminding herself that Henry came back to her. When it mattered the most, he always came to her. When the diamond was about to swallow the town whole, he came to her. He threw himself at her, and she saw the pain in his eyes at the prospect of losing her. Even in Neverland, she saw the relief in his eyes when she offered to tuck him in. She saw the serenity slowly creep into his exhausted eyes as she sat by his side, and comforted him. Even at the town line, he told her he regretted bringing Emma back. She still remembers how tight his fists were clenched around her coat, how tight his arms were.

And so, she sat in the car, trying to remind herself that he came back to her. That he followed her yesterday, that he stayed with her as she cried, that he spent the night. She tried to remind herself that he was coming back, that he was just picking up a few things.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and released it through her mouth, before she opened her eyes once more, but chose to look to the other side, away from that wretched building. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she caught sight of blonde hair walking on the sidewalk on the other side, and said blonde hair belonged to a certain fairy that she needed to talk to.

She exited her car, and ran after the fairy, who was about to turn the corner, "Tinkerbelle," she called after her.

She was glad when Tink stopped, and turned around. She smiled reassuringly at her, when she saw the slight trepidation in her eyes, "don't worry, I won't hurt you," she assured her, and looked at her feet when the guilt in Tink's eyes increased.

"I know my temper is infamous, but…" her explanation was cut short by Tink's soft voice, "I know you won't hurt me, Regina," she stated, and the surprise made her lift her head.

She gave a small smile in response, "thank you," she said, and at Tink's questioning gaze, she added, "for coming after me yesterday, for staying, and for moving me and Henry to bed," Regina listed.

"It was nothing, after all, it is partially my fault," Tink brushed it off.

"It wasn't your fault, Tink. There was no way you could've known that this was going to happen, no one could. I appreciate what you did last night, and what you tried to do all those years ago," Regina countered, "but the truth is, I don't regret not going in. I wasn't meant to be with him, I was meant to find Henry, and he was meant to find Marian, and have Roland. And I know that as much as I can't wish for anything to change if it risks Henry's existence, he feels the same about Roland."

"You're meant to be together, Regina, pixie dust never lies. I know that it seems farfetched at the moment, but don't turn your back on love again," Tink pleaded softly.

"I can't fight for something that I know can never be mine. I can't take him away from his family, take Roland away from his mother. It's not fair to me, or to any of them," she countered.

Before Tink could object to that, Regina's head snapped towards the apartment building, and her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Tink wondered, and Regina's response was to break off into a jog, with Tink hot on her heels.

"Regina?" Tink called questioningly.

"Something's wrong with Henry, I can feel it," she yelled over her shoulder, as she ran up the stairs two at a time.

She was about to knock on the door, when it suddenly swung open, and she was met with a furious Henry. The various sounds of shock released from the other three fell on deaf ears, as she only had eyes and ears for her son, who had thrown himself at her, the second he laid eyes on her.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly, completely ignoring the other's questioning, and surprised looks. Her arms had wrapped around Henry, one hand cradling the head he had buried in her body. And his only response to her question, was tightening his arms even further around her waist.

"Regina, why did you come up?" David asked, almost accusingly, but it fell on deaf ears. For she was not going to give that idiot another glance, till she finds out _exactly_ what was bothering her son.

And so, David's answer came from Henry, and not her, "she could always tell when I am upset," he stated softly, his eyes now finding hers, a small, loving smile graced his lips, as he rested his chin on her chest.

That was like a punch in the stomach for Emma, for even in the year she lived with him in New York, she never developed those kind of instincts when it came to Henry. She could always tell when he was upset, but that would require seeing him, not feeling it from the car downstairs.

Regina brushed his hair out of his eyes, before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, her other thumb caressing his cheek lovingly.

"Are you alright?" she inquired once more, and he moved his head back to rest under her chin.

"I just wanna go home," he sighed, and she nodded as she rubbed his back.

"Let's go then," she offered, sliding her hand down his arm till she found his hand, and took it into hers.

She turned him towards the stairs, without even a word to the other three. But before she could take another step, Snow's voice halted her in her tracks.

"Regina, wait!" she called urgently.

When Regina turned around, she saw her walking towards her, side stepping the still stunned Emma, and ignoring David's calls. She didn't stop till she was standing right in front of Regina, the latter was completely glued to the spot. She may be pissed at Emma, and David managed to get on her last nerve in under a five minutes, but she and Snow had reached an understanding after they tried to summon Cora.

She was surprised by the amount of remorse she saw in Snow's eyes, for it was genuine, without even a hint of accusations.

Snow took a deep breath, "I owe you an apology," she stated, smiling sadly at Regina's shocked expression.

"What?!" was chorused by both David and Emma.

"I actually owe you two apologies," she amended, "one from me, and one on behalf of my father. We were both terrible to you; we neglected you, forgot you existed until one of us needed something. I told Cora about Daniel, thinking that she deserved to know. And after I got what I wanted, and you married my father, I hardly spared you a glance. You were miserable, and neither of us cared enough to ask why. We assumed you were living a good life, and refused to face our mistakes. We never even asked about your birthday, never bothered to learn when it was, let alone actually hold a celebration in your honor. Whilst you sat through every single one of our birthdays, and even the ones we held in my mother's honor. You waited till I was a grown woman before you killed my father, even after everything, you still didn't want me to grow up without both my parents. Even later, there were always glaring loopholes in the plans, it didn't make any sense to me back then, but now they do. You were always leaving a back door open for me to escape, you didn't want to kill me, even that day in the tower, Rumple said the first thing he taught you was to sense magic in objects," her story was interrupted by David's surprised 'what?', that she chose to ignore "I know you felt the spell, and knew that it wasn't going to hurt me, you took the way out. You didn't want to let go of the hunt on your own out of fear of betraying Daniel, so you took the way out. Because all you ever wanted...was for me to feel sorry for what I did. You wanted a sincere apology out of me, one that was not conditioned by anything, and one where I didn't try to sound like a victim in," she poured her heart out, stunning all around her into silence.

"We both made a lot of mistakes, we both hurt each other badly, but only one of us was ever held accountable for her actions. I always hung my wrong doings on you, but in reality, if we were to look at who's to blame, then it will be my mother. She was the one who set in motion a series of events that eventually screwed us both. You and I have our mothers to blame," she added sincerely, smiling softly at the tears that were cascading down Regina's cheek.

"Thank you for saving us back in Neverland, and thank you for saving my baby," she said sincerely, earning a soft gasp mixed in with a whimper from Regina.

She saw Regina's eyes shift wildly between hers, trying to find the turning point, the point where this will turn out to be a trick to get her to leave Henry, or to do something else that they want. The point where this all turns out to be a cruel trick, to hurt her even more. She smiled reassuringly at her, and nodded silently at the questioning, disbelieving look in her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything, you can't say anything that will top you standing in front of Cora's ghost, and telling her that if she wants to kill me, she will have to go through you," she soothed, and yet another collection of gasps was heard.

Snow smiled softly at Regina, her own tears now rolling down her cheeks as well, "all these years, I held on to the image of the woman who believed in the power of true love, who threw all appearances and rules aside when I would crawl into bed with her when I got upset, and the one who opened eyes to the possibility of having what I have now. And now, after all these years, I finally have her back," she finished tearfully, before wrapping her arms around Regina's neck.

Regina's head was spinning, she couldn't believe that she was hearing those words out of Snow of all people. She was scared to believe it, and so her arms moved slowly, and almost hesitantly, as it wrapped around Snow's frame.

"Thank you," she whispered tearfully into Snow's shoulder, closing her eyes when she felt her nod.

* * *

**I know I promised to update weekly, but work has been crazy, so I am sorry for the long wait. Here is the next chapter for you all.**

**I know that some of the things that Henry said to Emma might seem a bit cruel to some, but it bothers me when the writers act like Emma can walk back into Henry's life and take him away from Regina, which in my opinion sends a message to all adoptive mothers, that you have to accept the fact that the woman who gave birth to your child can take him away just because she gave birth to him. I mean, with that logic, then surrogate mothers have a right to claim the child they gave birth to. It takes more than just giving birth to be a parent, and speaking as someone who deals with this issue a lot, if Emma wanted to give Henry his best shot, she would've checked up on him, but she never did. And so, she deserves to get a second chance, but she does not get to act like she is the primary parent in HEnry's life, for she is not, but Regina is. She waved away her rights when she gave him up, and she does not get them back just because she changed her mind.**

**Sorry for the rant, but figured I would clear it up to save me the questions. **

**The next chapter will probably be in sometime within the next week if I am luck enough. **

**My 100th reviewer offer still stands, so keep'em coming people. **

**Thanks to all who read, followed and reviewed. **


End file.
